Shadow
by Deepest Ocean
Summary: We aren't given the luxury of choosing which family we're born into. It's a matter of chance and fate that can either save you or destroy you. Myri Antilles is still trying to discover the meaning of her position on the family tree.
1. Prologue

Myri was the younger of the Antilles children, and from the day that her older sister Syal was born, Wedge knew that a daughter like her would be coming next. From infancy to adolescence, she was shadowed by her older sister's achievements, which had ultimately culminated in Syal's becoming a top biological scientist in the Galactic Alliance. Myri, on the other hand, spent most of her early teenage years being brought home late by security every night, yelling obscenities and reeking of alcohol. This led to a massive upset of the Antilles' household. Wedge loved his daughter more than anything in the universe, but he wasn't going to stand by Myri's destructive behavior. Iella wanted no part of it, readily unleashing her embarrassed rage on her youngest. Night after night, mother and daughter screamed at one another, and on certain occasions, furniture and other domestic decorations were hurled and destroyed. Wedge had been in the middle of this war many times before he realized that Myri and Iella needed to be separated until her social behaviors became more acceptable, if not permanently.

The only reason Myri allowed her enrollment in a boarding school was the distance she would gain between her mother and sister. A day after her 15th birthday, Myri was shipped off to Tralus V, where she could learn academics while also learning socially acceptable behavior. Ever the spitting image of her father, Myri escaped from the academy. It wasn't long before she found herself back on her home planet of Corellia, living where she could and earning money with her looks. Her sister Syal had been a stunning beauty, with wavy blonde hair and syrupy brown eyes. Myri had a dark beauty, with a veil-like waterfall of dark hair and startling turquoise eyes. Her look was exotic, and it what many Corellian men desired.

Myri paid her disappearance from Tralus V with nights spend in seedy cantinas in the lower levels of Corellia's major cities. She dazzled her customers with her abilities to move her body to any kind of music, all while she removed every article of clothing she wore. It didn't take long before she was given an offer she couldn't refuse…


	2. One

Myri was wary of the man that had approached her. He was the type that would stay quiet during her entire act, then when she required payment, demanded more. She was surprised, however, when instead of threatening her, he offered her his name.

"I'm Tox Jackin, director of entertainment on the liner Corellian Diamond…"

Myri had heard of the ship before. Used as cruise, wealthy patrons spent the week playing while having every single one of their fantasies that they desired to come true.

Tox went on to explain that they had recently added and gentleman's club to the liner and that he believed she was just what they needed for an extraordinary show. Myri listened patiently as he talked about the club and what he was looking for in terms of talent.

"And the pay?" Myri asked, now all business as she crossed her arms over her naked torso.

"Varying, depending on how many patrons you can work on your own."

"I make enough doing what I do now," she said, picking the silky undergarment she had been dancing in from the floor.

"Plus bonuses, of course."

"Bonuses?"

"Tox pulled a small vial and dropped it on the table that was between them. Myri's eyes widened. She had seen glitterstim before, mostly when patrons of her own caught up with her after snorting the crystalline powder. She had done a few hits herself occasionally, but it was too expensive to constantly be using. This, on the other hand, was quite an offer.

"When do I depart?" she asked with a smile.

Tox met Myri again about a week later, to bring her to the berth where the Corellian Diamond was docked. The ship was larger than anything Myri had ever seen, even in the New Republic's former shipyards. He rushed her onto the ship, as most patrons had already boarded, and soon the liner's entertainment would need to be opening.

He brought her to the Mirmount, the club that she would be dancing at, dropping her off backstage among females of various species. Before he ran out, he handed Myri a vial of glitterstim, "For luck."

She was stunned for a moment, suddenly aware of what she had gotten herself into. She stared at the vial in her hands for a few moments, then headed over to an empty vanity. She was only sitting for a moment when a tall female that looked about her age was visible in her transpariglass.

"Are you going to use all of that on your own?" the sage haired girl asked, a slight twinkle in her grey eyes.

Myri placed the vial on the vanity, "I was thinking about it, yes. Didn't Tox give you one also?"

The female shook her head, "Oh no. You're the star, he'd only give it to you before a performance."

Myri detected no sarcasm in her voice, and offered up a warm smile, "Well, I've never been on to be stingy. I'm Myri—"

She quickly stopped talking, realizing it would be unwise to reveal her last name. There were plenty of Antilles in the galaxy, but she was easily identifiable if her full name was given. The girl smiled as Myri began to pour the crystalline powder from the vial and form it into small lumps, "I'm Sirra. Sirra Tovak."

Myri picked up the small tube that had been sitting on her vanity and inhaled the crystal, then held out the tube to her, "Well, pleasure to meet you, Sirra."

The night's performance was very basic, but the crowd was enthralled. Myri was very pleased with the dazzling costume the she had been given to wear, and was almost disappointed when she had to remove it. The patrons of the club ate up her routine and she experienced a high like never before as the lights danced over her naked body. She made small talk with many of the customers, casting a flirtatious glance or a charming smile at nearly everyone in the Mirmount. All the while, Tox watched her, seeming pleased with her work.

At the end of the night, she counted her credits with Sirra. They were almost finished when Tox came over with their sanctioned payments, as well as the promised bonuses for each of them. He congratulated them both on a wonderful evening of work, and the girls were bursting with excitement as they left the Mirmount.

"Well, we've got enough stim to keep us up all night. What should we do?" Sirra asked.

"Let's go dancing!" Myri exclaimed, and the two girls headed off to all the cantinas on the cruise liner, persuading men to buy them drinks and dance. Every night was spent this way, with the two girls leaving work to get high and wreak havoc on the Corellian Diamond.

One night, after the usual performance, Tox made his rounds, but stopped with more than just money and glitterstim.

"There was a table of high rollers out there that requested a private dance from my best," he told them as they each snorted a lump of stim.

"Really? How many?" Myri asked, ready to calculate the amount of money she could make.

"Four. They're a bit older, but they were tipping girls great very well all night. They specifically requested the girls with the most talent, and I think you two would be wonderful."

"Any extra bonus for this?" Sirra had gained an entrepreneurial shrewdness from watching Myri wheedle larger amounts of stim from him every night.

"Here's the deal. I'll pay you for tomorrow night, but you can take off. The liner has a stop on Cantiv, so many of the passengers will be spending the night off ship."

The girls grinned at one another and assaulted Tox with an embrace. He laughed as the two were quickly off the private performance room. Myri had her game face on as she walked into the dimly lit area. She couldn't see the men's faces, but the credits strewn on the table showed just how gracious tippers they were.

"I'm all ready in love," she heard one say.

"You boys just wait," Myri said coyly, walking over and setting the mood lighting to deep blue and putting a sensual rhythm on.

Myri and Sirra had created their own routine for just the occasion as this. Slowly the traced their hands over one another's skin, occasionally placing a kiss on the parts of the body they touched. The performance became extremely erotic as Sirra sat on the table facing the four men and Myri sat behind her, sucking on her neck and massaging more private areas of her body.

In their enhanced state, both could feel the heat rising at the arousal of the men in front of them, and decided it was time for the big finish. The girls moved to each of them on the ends and slithered their bodies against the patrons.

Myri pumped her body harder against he man she was working as he slid credits into her hands. Their fingers remained intertwined for a moment, and Myri turned so that she could get a better look at the man. She suddenly stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over the table as realization hit her like a ton of ferrocrete. She slammed her hand against the mood generator, cutting it off.

Her heart was pounding against her chest as the bright lights blared on and the identities of the men were revealed to her. Sirra was on Hobbie Klivian's lap. Wes Janson looked absolutely baffled at the outburst. Tycho Celchu was speechless. And her father, Wedge Antilles, was in shock as he recognized the young woman who had been straddled across him moments ago was his youngest daughter.


	3. Two

"Of all the kriffing places in the universe I would expect to find you, this was certainly not on the list!"

Wedge was bellowing at the top of his lungs as Myri rushed to cover herself. His friends, more like surrogate uncles to her, sat in stunned silence as the event unfolded.

Sirra had rushed in and out of the dressing room quickly enough to grab the both silk robes that Myri draped around herself as her father continued screaming.

"I send you away so that you could make something of your life, and here you are, parading around for men of all species to gawk at!"

Myri had never heard her father yelling so loudly. Or looking so disappointed. But this was her place of employment, and she was well aware that she was just as expendable as any of the other girls.

"Please, save the lecture for when I'm not on the chrono," she said coldly. She didn't want to be lectured at all, much less that very moment. What she desired most was a very cold stint in her refresher. Her comment moved her father only to greater anger.

"I'm taking you from here," he warned her, "After tomorrow night, I'm taking you back home and I'm not letting you out of my sight until you've done a complete turnaround."

Myri exploded at that moment, directing years of anger and confusion into blame for her father's lack of being there for his family, "You sent me away because you couldn't handle the responsibility of being a parent. If it wasn't in a cockpit or in a dogfight, you were useless. How dare you lecture me on my life now, when you wanted nothing to do with it then!"

Everyone except Wedge remained in shock as Myri stormed from the room, grabbing the pay that Tox had left for her and leaving the Mirmount. She rushed to her quarters, craving a lump of stim to calm her frazzled nerves. She unloaded the vial onto her bedside table and inhaled several lumps of the powder. The drug took effect in moments in such great quantity, and Myri changed into a form-fitting dress that brazenly revealed her assets under its sheer crimson layer.

She was mostly calm as she left her quarters, heading to Jurro's, where she knew the tender would supply her with free drinks. Levels above her, Wedge's friends surrounded him in his stateroom to prevent him from overturning any more furniture than he already had.

"Outrageous!" he said to them "She is completely out of control. It's worse than when I send her away!"

Wedge lowered his head into his hands, trying to make everything lose the red tint he had been seeing for the past hour or so. Wes beckoned Tycho away for a moment, out of earshot.

"Hobs and I could go try and get a track on her while you stay here and get him calm. Maybe we can get them to actually talk."

"Sounds like a plan. See if you can get a hold of that Sirra girl also. She may be able to tell us more about Myri."

Wes nodded and beckoned Hobbie to follow him from the room, leaving Tycho to deal with an unnerving Wedge. They walked to the lower levels of the ship and began searching every club and cantina that was still open. Luckily, most patrons had long headed to their quarters, and only the real late-nighters remained.

"I have an idea. Hobbie, see if you can get any information about Myri or Sirra from Mirmount. I'll check out the cantinas to see if I can spot them."

Hobbie gave him a slightly sarcastic salute and headed off in the other direction. Wes smiled as he walked into the first cantina of his quest. So long as he was working, he may as well enjoy it. By the 10th cantina and his 15th Corellian slammer, Wes was almost ready to give up when he spotted her sitting alone at a table in the dark corner of Jurro's. He recognized her supple curves and pouty lips before mentally kicking himself with a reminder that he had seen her in her toddlerunis. His intoxication dealt with that accordingly as he approached and realized that her eyes striking eyes weren't the only thing extremely visible to him.

"Can I buy you a drink?" he proposed carefully, flashing his patented undeniable smirk. When their eyes met, he felt as if a current of electricity had run through his body. Once again, he reminded himself of her goofing around in the simulators when Wedge brought her on base as a little girl.

"It depends on how many you can supply," she answered coolly, leaning forward and letting a dark strand of her hair brush across her bare shoulder. This was going to be harder then the thought; she played dirty.

Wes couldn't catch himself any longer as his perpetual sensuality kicked in and he blurted, "I can go all night, baby."

He detected a fleeting moment of panic in Myri's gorgeous features. She quickly slammed a mask of amusement over it and her eyes sparkled as she replied much more warmly, "We'll see about that, soldier."

Wes slid into the booth beside her, undoing the top of his tunic slightly. Whether it was because he was trying to show off his still toned chest or because he was uncomfortable in the sticky heat of the cantina, Myri didn't know, but either way she was enjoying the view.

Thought he was nearly 30 years her senior, Wes hadn't aged like her father. It must have been the lack of responsibility of remaining a bachelor that kept him looking not a day over 35.

"So, how old are you now?" he asked.

Myri had to laugh, but it came out strongly in her inebriation, "19. What an odd question."

"Not odd at all," he responded with charming smile, sliding ever so slightly closer to her.

Myri's pulse was pounding in her throat as she felt his warmth getting closer to her. Another few moments of staring into those eyes the color of Tanaabian sapphires and she'd be done for.

"My father didn't react very well to see me taking my clothes off for money, do you really think he'd be thrilled to the prospect of one of his closest friends coming on to his youngest daughter?" she asked before gulping down the rest of her drink.

The deterrent didn't work. Wes was almost on top of her now, and his warm breath tickled her neck as he whispered, "I warned him…"

"Oh did you?" Myri asked, calling his bluff and turning her head so that the tension nearly created a visible spark between their lips.

"I told him I was falling in love," he closed the gap between them before Myri had a chance to protest. He knew she wouldn't dare try to as his strong arms slipped around her. The kiss felt like nothing he had ever experience before, and he had drunkenly kissed very many women in seedy, dark cantinas in his time.

It seemed as if light-years had passed before their lips parted. Myri took a shaky breath that tickled his slightly parted lips and caused them to curl into a smile.

"Is this all some intricate plan to make me hear my father out?" she asked breathlessly, moving back so she could focus on his whole face.

"Oh no," Wes answered before pressing his lips to hers once again, "This is all for fun."


	4. Three

Myri didn't remember how she and Wes had drunkenly stumbled back to her quarters, nor did she remember just why she had pushed him onto her bed and insistently tore his clothes off of his body, or how they ravaged one another on top of her sheets, on the floor, and against the walls of her quarters. What she did know was that the sun of Cantiv was shining brightly through the transparisteel and warming her aching body.

Wes slept heavily next to her, obviously passed out from the night's activity. Her eyes trained over his toned body, resting on his rugged, yet peaceful features. She shivered at the thought of his reaction when he woke and very carefully stood, instantly regretting it. She nearly doubled over in pain, catching herself moments before toppling to the ground.

"Are you all right?" Wes voice scared her out of her wits. She jumped and her body wracked with pain as she grabbed the nearest sheet to cover herself with.

"Yes, I'll be fine," Myri responded cautiously.

Wes gave her a sleepy grin and slid himself out of bed, stretching and grabbing his pants.

"I should probably be getting back to them…" he told her, trailing off as he watched her slide her robe around her shoulders.

"Yes, you should," she said softly, setting herself gently onto her bed. Wes came around the bed after he finished dressing and have her a tuck under the chin.

"Hope you had fun. I'll see you later, kid," he said with a wink, and left Myri to mull over the night's events in a baffled pleasure.

Wes walked with a bounce in his step the entire way back to the quarters where he and the other former pilots were staying. Hobbie was already awake and dressed, ready for their excursion onto Cantiv.

"Where did you end up?" the light haired man asked in between chews of his breakfast pasty. The fact that Wes didn't sleep in their room the pervious night didn't surprise him Wes often disappeared like that.

"I was searching for Myri all night," he lied, "I see you gave up."

"Actually, I didn't Sirra wasn't at the Mirmount when I got there, but I did talk to her boss, Tox."

"And?" Wes waved his hand impatiently.

"I'm getting to it, hold on," Hobbie downed his pastry with some garba juice before continuing, "Myri is his biggest income. Mirmount's economic rate has skyrocketed since she began. In layman's terms, she's a star."

Wes gave him an appreciative nod before heading into the refresher.

"I'd sure say so," he murmured once out of earshot.

He cleaned up quickly and headed over to meet Wedge and Tycho with Hobbie. They had decided to take a look around on Cantiv on their own chrono instead of taking a tour with a group. It was more therapeutic, and to be perfectly honest, the only way that they would be able to stir up their usual bout of trouble.

"Any luck last night?" Tycho asked quietly as they walked down the ship's massive gangway.

"Oh yea," Wes answered with an absent-minded smile. He only caught what Tycho had been asking when he saw the earnest expression on the other man's face, "Oh, with Myri you mean? No."

"You're appalling."

"You love it."

"Your story will fly, though. Wedge was wondering where you disappeared to. I told him the usual," Tycho said, examining his friend as they stepped out into the bright sun. Something seemed off about Wes. Normally he spilled every gory, egotistical detail about his conquests. Tycho wondered what kind of woman possessed the ability to shut Wes Janson up.

He debated this for a good portion of the day as the four men walked through the streets of Cantiv. By sunset, they had walked all the way to the black sanded beaches of New Cristain.

They had dinner oceanside and decided to stay the night in an apartment on the planet as opposed to the Corellian Diamond. After dinner they strolled the beach, everyone staying clear of the topic o Myri. Wedge had calmed down externally, but they could all tell that her words had cut him very deeply.

Wedge and Hobbie sat on a low duracrete wall at the top of the beach, staring up at the beautiful night sky overhead. The inky expanse was aglow with newborn stars, glittering like diamonds against a velvet fabric.

"Appropriate for the cruise, hmm?" Wedge asked.

"After all this time," Hobbie stated, "All the days and nights we never saw while up there, it still amazes me."

Wedge agreed with a wistful sigh as a memory of his daughter flitted through is mind, "When Myri was a little girl, she used to brag to all of her playmates that her daddy worked up there. Iella always told me how she used to say goodnight to me every time she went to bed, demanding to be brought outside so she could see the whole sky."

Hobbie stared thoughtfully at the ground for a few moments before speaking, "I know that you're angry with her, but it could be worse. You could have found her dead in the streets from a massive glitterstim overdose."

"Always the optimist," Wedge gave him a tired smile, "Myri was never like Syal, as much as Iella and I wished she would be. I guess it was our own fault though, always praising Syal for her accomplishments while she was screaming for attention."

"She certainly found a way to get it."

"I wouldn't be as angry as I am if not for how reckless she was as a younger teen. She may be quick-witted and tough, but she can be very brash and impulsive. It doesn't seem to have caught up with her yet, but I can only hope that the day never comes. Myri is young, but she's a tired, old spirit."

"If I'm not mistaken, I had a former commander that was somewhat like that."

Wedge could only respond with a rueful smile. Down towards the water, Tycho had finally cracked Wes' silent demeanor.

"So who was she? You've barely said a word since we left the ship," Tycho said, swirling the wine that he held. Wes plopped himself into the dark, cool sand, pulling of his low boots and digging his toes in.

"She was beautiful," he said simply.

"As if you'd sully your own image with anything else," Tycho responded in jest.

"Not just the face, Tyke. Her body was curved at just the right slopes, her skin was so soft. The way she moved was liquid transparisteel when we…you know…"

"Spare me," Tycho cut in, his face suddenly looking as if his wine had soured. Wes smiled contentedly until he continued, "What was her name?"

"Didn't get it." he lied for the second time that day.

"A woman like that and you didn't even catch her name?"

"Didn't have time. We both know what we were there for, and I can tell you that it definitely wasn't names."

"You disgust me."

"My work here is done."


	5. Four

After retiring back to their rented apartment, all four men headed to bed. Wes tossed and turned for several hours, not because of Hobbie's persistent snoring, but because of Myri. He had been describing her to Tycho earlier and it made him wonder about why he couldn't seem to shake the image of her from the previous night. It was like she wasn't even a sentient being, something borne of the stars and the planets. He felt a calming warmth when he thought of her, which send his mind into a flutter that he had never felt before. Women didn't make Wes Janson fall, it was simple psychology. Still, the tingle she had left in the back of his mind was absolutely undeniable.

He was left with only one choice, pulling himself out of bed and dressing to take another walk on the beach by himself. The bright stars lit the sand with a soft white glow, making a dark lump extremely visible against it. As he got closer, the shape became the form of a human lying nearly face down in the dark sand. Wes military instincts kicked in and he moved quietly to the person, "Are you all right?"

He kneeled when he got no response. Very gently he rolled the figure over and into his arms, becoming panic-stricken when he recognized the oddly calm features of the girl he had been losing sleep over.

"Myri," he murmured nervously, giving her a soft shake. As he leaned down to listen for breath, Wes noticed that the skin above her upper lip glittered in the moonlight. He brushed his fingers over it and brought them to his mouth, and sighed loudly as the grin realization of what the bitter tasting powder was. Of course she took glitterstim; any female in her line of work probably did. That though had never crossed his mind about her though, being Wedge's daughter.

Then he remembered that she had developed an alcohol dependency by the age of 15. A memory hit him of one night that he had stayed at the Antilles' She had been brought him, ranting like a lunatic, probably having imbibed more alcohol than he ever could. She had shattered a table that night, with her bare hands.

"Oh Myri," he said, pulling her to his chest and wrapping his arms tightly around her. He lifted her from the sand, suddenly realizing that bringing her back to the apartment would do nothing but make the situation work between father and daughter. He also knew that he couldn't just leave her on the sand in hopes that she'd wake up in the morning and find her way back to the ship. He was just going to have to take her back to the apartment and have her out before anyone else woke in the morning.

Wes quickly padded down the hallway of the apartment after coming back from the beach. Cradling Myri in his arms, he tiptoed past the bedrooms where Hobbie, Wedge, and Tycho were sleeping. He brought Wedge's unconscious daughter into the living room and lay her down on one of the plush sofas. Wes shook her gently, whispering her name a few times until she began to stir.

"Hey," he said, a slight frown on his face as she struggled to focus on him. When she became slightly closer to consciousness and recognized him, she sho0t into a sitting position.

"Where am I? How did you get me here?" she demanded, drawing back sharply from him.

Wes was momentarily taken aback, but very quickly frustration took over, "I found you unconscious on the beach and I carried you back here. You tell me how you ended up there."

Myri shoved him back, hard, "Who the kriff do you think you are-"

Wes grabbed her wrists tightly and spoke forcefully, "Why are taking glitterstim?"

She raged in his grasp, but he wasn't letting go. She began to trail off in a smattering of stim induced angry ranting that broke Wes' hear more than infuriated him. Suddenly he cut her off mid-rant, pushing her back into the couch and covering her mouth with his hands. Myri beat her fists against him as hard as she could, but he only pushed his body against hers harder until she tiredly gave up.

"I've seen people die from this, Myri. I've seen peoples bodies just cease to exist. I've seen girls just like you, dead in alleyways, and if they weren't, they were being raped. You're young and beautiful. It can help you or it can kill you. I won't let it kill you."

Wes was so wrapped up in his words that he hadn't felt his face become heatedly red and his voice become chocked and his eyes filled with tears. His hands fell way form Myri's face and her mouth and eyes were wide in shock. Seconds felt like hours as they stared at one another. Myri moved first, pushing Wes' trembling form back against he cushions and crushing her lips to his. Wes was quick to reciprocate, holding hr face in his hand as he drank in her kiss.

On the other side of the couch, a voice said, "Son of the Sith!"

Myri sat up, her legs straddled over Wes' body. He pushed himself up as far as he could and his heart dropped into his stomach. Hobbie was standing at the end of the hallway, clad only in his underuni, rubbing his tired eyes.

"This isn't what you think," Myri said, getting up from the couch.

"If this isn't what I think, then it is one twisted nightmare."

Wes shot Hobbie a hard look before moving off of the couch, "Myri, wait, I can explain all this…"

"No, I shouldn't be here. You should have left me," Myri told him before shoving past Hobbie and fleeing down the hall and out of the apartment.

"What in blazes is going on out there?" the two men heard Wedge bellow.

"I just caught Wes sleepwalking, no worries, go back to bed, I'm sorry," Hobbie said rushedly. The two men waiting for a response, and when they got none, Wes started for the door.

"Where are you going?" Hobbie whispered.

"I'm not going to let her walk out there alone, she-" he couldn't continue. Not without knowing that Wedge wouldn't find out, "Can I trust you?"

For a few moments, Wes was concerned that he had insulted his own friend. Hobbie realized quickly that he was confiding in him because it was something that put Wedge in some sort of danger, as well as Myri.

"As always," Hobbie responded, dropping on to the couch.

Wes shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the floor. He sighed and set himself up to shock Hobbie, as he often did, "I did end up finding Myri last night. I was trying to get her to let her guard down, and I sort of got distracted."

His mind was reeling from the force of her kiss and denial on moments later. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and continued, "Myri and I ended up spending the night together-"

"You're as good as dead."

"Only if you tell Wedge, which you won't , because unlike myself you value your life. She's been acting unusual since I left yesterday morning, like she's hiding something. I, on the other hand, am fully ready to admit that after 47 years, someone is finally starting to get to me."

"You're falling for Wedge's daughter. It's poetic, but more along the lines of a tragedy. Certainly understandable, too. She's flawless."

"Not so much. Wedge sent her away for a reason. She's an addict with no reason not to abuse. At 15, she was alcohol dependant. I found her unconscious on the beach, and she had definitely taken stim."

Hobbie leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. He covered his face with his hands for a moment, letting all the information sink in.

"Judging from her reaction, I don't think she's going to talk to well to you going after her."

"I can't just leave her, Hobs…"

Hobbie looked up at him and they stared at one another until he sighed and said, "Let me go after her, I'll make sure she gets back to the Diamond safely."

He stood and Wes clapped him on the shoulder, "Thank you. Take care of her for me."


	6. Five

Hobbie walked through the dark streets for hours. His was the second time in his vacation that he had consented to a wild mynock chase after Wedge's daughter. Though he would have normally been jealous of Wes having bedded her, he wondered why, out of all the women he'd been with, he had to start falling for the one that he couldn't have.

"Then again, he never really liked to make things easy for anyone," Hobbie murmured.

His sharp hearing detected footsteps behind his own, and he was able to guess the general size of the persona following him. Small. Hobbie stopped in his tracks and waited.

"He sent you after me?"

He turned to face Myri, and suddenly understood the spell that she had cast on his former squadmate. The moon gave her an unnerving beauty, bouncing off all the skin she insisted on showing even when she wasn't working.

"I chose to come. He was concerned about you…"

"Wes Janson?" the teenager crossed her arms, "I don't believe it."

"Me neither, but I'm standing here. Exponential date proves it to be true. Listen, Myri, we're a whole lot older than you, we've seen so many things—"

"He told you about the glitterstim."

"Well, yes."

"I don't need a lecture. That's why I ran to the Diamond in the first place."

"I'm aware, but if you weren't scared, then why did you run?"

"From Wes? I know him. The one thing that I held from my father was when he told me to find someone exactly opposite from Uncle Wes."

"And from home?"

Myri studied him. Hobbie had been one of Wedge's most loyal friends. He probably held secrets that she would never know.

"They sent me away because I present a danger to our family's name. One bad lavafruit can ruin the whole bunch. I figured out I was better off presenting a danger to my own well being. I don't have to live up to a name; nobody on the Diamond knows that I'm an Antilles. It's probably the only thing keeping me alive, but hey, it's working," she spread her hands wide to show her body.

"Do you love your family?"

"My father was my hero when I was a child, but who didn't look up to him? My mother had lost interest in me the moment I was removed from her, she obsessed too much time in raising a clone."

"You're referring to Syal…"

"Yes, her. A very cruel twist of fate gave her all the good genes, but I'm playing the hand that I was dealt quite well."

"Stripping and addicted to stim."

"And bedding my father's closest friends."

"You've got a quick mouth. Someday that's going to hurt you."

"Spare. Me. The. Lecture." she punctuated ever word with an icy glare.

"I'm not here to fix things in your family; I'm here because Wes needs me to be. As ridiculous as it seems to both of us, he appears to be quite taken with you. I just want to make sure that you make it back to that ship by morning."

"So you're my escort?"

"Something like that."

"Escort me, then."

Hobbie gave her a smile, shaking his head as he put out an arm for her. She certainly had inherited the part of Wedge that he rarely let full show. The Corellian part.

He walked her all the way back to the Corellian Diamond; by that time, the sun was rising. They parted ways and Hobbie quickly made his way back to the apartment. Myri had a quick stint in the 'fresher, all the while thinking about the conversation with Hobbie. She wanted to talk to Sirra about all that had happened after she left the bar they had been dancing at the night before. Sirra didn't know that she had been forced from the bar by the man she had been dancing with. He was a local, the usual good looking, tough and tumble guy that she normally found herself spending a night with then the ship docked. They hadn't exchanged names, and Myri now knew why. He had savagely taken her down to the shore and forced himself upon her. She had never been raped before. In the business Myri was in, it was a situation she was used to fighting and winning, but something had happened the previous night that she couldn't understand.

Remembering Wes' harsh but caring words, Myri's mood darkened and she couldn't fight the urge to finish off the last of the stim she had stashed away under her bed. Sirra had told Tox that she would work the day shift, so Myri knew exactly where to find her. She hurried down to the Mirmount to catch her friend just as she was going on a break.

"And how was your night last night?" Sirra asked with a sly grin as she moved to her vanity to reapply makeup.

Myri didn't have it in her to admit what had happened the night before, so she lied, "He was nice. We walked around for a while and met up with my father's friend Wes on the beach."

"Oh, the handsome one?"

"Yea, him. Listen, he was real impressed b the show we gave them…"

"Of course, they always are, "Sirra said, studying her in the mirror.

"He came looking for a private show after I fought with my father."

Sirra turned to her, "Myri, you didn't!"

Myri gave her a quick nod and sat in front of her own vanity. She looked down at her makeup and sighed. They were both silent for a few moments. Sirra eventually spoke.

"Don't sweat it, babe. You sleep with someone every time we dock. Any of them could probably be you father's friends."

"You can't tell Tox about who I am. You can't tell anyone. It'll put both of us in danger."

Sirra took Myri's hands in hers, "I won't tell anyone. I don't care who your father is. You're just Myri to me."

Myri gave her a small smile. Sirra gave her a kiss on the head and walked back out to finish the rest of her shift.

Myri needed to get her mind off of Wes and what had happened at the bar that night. She knew only one way to do that, and found Tox to tell him that she would be more than happy to start an early shift if she could get a little compensation. Tox gladly took her offer and Myri quickly readied herself to go on stage. The new outfit she was wearing covered only he most private areas, leaving bruises from the previous night's struggles blatantly in the open. Myri covered them with makeup and fixed herself up, giving herself a quick glance in the mirror before scampering out from behind the curtain and into the club.

Oddly enough, the day shift was relaxing. Most of the patrons were quiet and didn't ask for any private dances; they were quite content with just watching the girls on the main stage. In her extra shift Myri took in a good amount of credits, some of which she left on Tox's desk as a thank you for the extra time.

Later on, before her night shift, Myri was reapplying her makeup. She rinsed the older off her skin and looked around furtively for anyone that would be able to se her bruises. Most of the other girls were already on stage, so she was safe for the moment.

Before she began to apply a fresh coat of makeup, she quickly tapped out a line of stim on her vanity. Just as she was bending to inhale the powder, she heard an all too familiar voice exclaim, "What happened to you!"

Myri gazed up in her mirror, frustration immediately gripping her heart as she recognized Wes in the mirror. She saw the expression on his face change as he viewed what she was doing.

"I should have figured you wouldn't have listened," he snapped coldly, "You're too much like your father."

Wes stalked off, but Myri ran after him, catching him just before he could leave the dressing area. She grabbed the back of his arm and felt it tense before he whipped around and out of her grasp.

"Wes, please listen. You were right…"

"Oh, was I? That's a perfect explanation for why I come down here to check on you and see you bent to that drug," his eyes were dark and angry.

Myri felt hot tears begin to fall down her cheeks, but she couldn't place why. She didn't want Wes to leave her alone. She was scared and hurting, and found herself yearning to be in his strong, yet gentle arms again.

"When you found me last night, I hadn't been alone that long. A man from a bar took me down there and—"

"Please don't say it," Wes cut her off, and Myri could hear the sorrow creeping into his voice.

"Wes, I—"

"Please. I know that the profession you're in leads you to all the terrible things I yelled at you for. Just let me imagine that those things didn't happen to you. Not you."

Myri didn't know what to say to him. She folded and looked towards the curtain that led to the club floor. She glanced back at Wes, "I have to get out there."

She cursed herself for how much her voice was shaking. She attempted to save her dignity by walking back to her vanity and applying her makeup once again. When she turned back towards the curtain, he was gone. Myri was able to turn on her game face for her second shift.

She worked her way around the Mirmount, her eyes flicking every now and then to a table at the far end of the room where Wes sat, just staring at her. She was distracted for a moment until she felt a sharp slap on her bottom.

The man she looked at didn't seem to notice her death stare, "I'd like to take you in the private room and have some time with you."

"At least 30 credits a dance," Myri said absently, scanning the club for Tox.

"I'll give you 1,000 credits, but I'm not looking for a dance."

Myri was taken aback by the offer. She had never heard something that much, nor had she ever been asked to prostitute herself. Tox would be furious if she let that much money go. The man would definitely create a problem if she refused him. Myri glanced back to where Wes had bee. He was no longer there. She sighed shortly and looked at the man who was now stroking his hands across her lower abdomen.

"Please go to the private booth, I'll meet you there momentarily with my boss to see what we can work out for you."

The man gladly headed towards the private room and Myri turned to go find Tox and let him know what was going on. She stopped short as she nearly headed right into Wes.

"Don't do it, Myri."

She crossed her arms as she looked up at him, "This is my job, Wes. This is why I do to survive."

"Please," he pleaded with her.

"Give me one damn reason why," her patience was growing short with his confusing behavior.

Wes grabbed her elbows and shook her once, "Because I love you."

Myri knew as soon as he pressed his lips to hers that a few of the club's bouncers, as well as Tox, were already rushing across the club to deal with what they thought was an overzealous patron.

Two guards grabbed Wes roughly and pulled him away from her. He snapped an shoved them both back, and all hell broke loose.

Punches were thrown and Myri did all she could to pull herself out of the fight. The bouncers wrested Wes to the ground and Myri could then see the only person who could have made things worse.

Wedge Antilles stood with his military grade blaster drawn. One look at him and she knew that he had seen everything. At the moment, his main priority was to get Wes out of trouble.

"I'm former General Wedge Antilles of the Galactic Alliance, and the man you just attacked is a Captain. If you value your freedom and your life, you'll let him go."

Tycho and Hobbie flanked him, blasters also drawn. The Mirmount had come to a complete stand-still, everyone staring at the events unfolding in front of them. Myri couldn't even meet her father's eyes as he said, "Myri, you come over here now. This is enough."

Tox stepped in front of her, putting a protective arm against her scantily clad body that made Wedge's skin crawl and his vision suddenly go bright red, "She is my employee, everything she does is under my supervision."

Wedge shot a beam into the ground at his feet, causing him to jump, "She is my daughter, and if you don't think that I won't kill you to get to her, you're wrong."

Myri's stomach dropped to her feet as Tox glanced back at her, shock registering on his features. The worst case scenario was playing out directly in front of her. She caught her father's glance and instantly wished that she hadn't. There were very few occasions where she had seen him so furious. There were two was she could leave the club: Tox would either have to swallow his pride and let her go, or someone was going to end up dead.

"I'm sorry Tox. This is a battle you're just not going to win," Myri said, "It's over."

Tycho and Hobbie lowered their blasters and moved to help Wes off the ground. His legs wobbled a bit, and he wiped a trail of blood coming from his mouth on his sleeve. Wedge kept his blaster trained on Tox as Myri came around him.

"You're going to regret this, Miss Antilles," he vowed.

She closed her eyes as she met up with Wes, putting an arm around his lower back and her other hand on his chest. Tycho and Hobbie stayed close on either side of them. Wedge remained in his position until he was sure that Wes and Myri were out of the club. His cold stare softened only when he turned and followed after them.

Wedge knew that Tox wouldn't follow, nor would he call any security forces after them. The military ruled over all other forms of justice, and he wasn't exactly in a very legal business.

Tycho passed his cloak to Myri as soon as they got a comfortable distance from the Mirmount. She draped it around her body, but people still stared.

"What's the next move?" Hobbie asked.

Wedge answered his question, but it was directed at his daughter.

"You can't go back to your quarters. Not unless one of us is with you. They'll most likely make some sort of threat or hit on you if you're alone. In fact, I don't want you going anywhere without one of us—"

"Dad."

"You're going to be staying in," he threw a glance to Wes, "my quarters with Tycho and I."

"Dad!"

"Yes, Myri?"

"Are you kidding?" she looked at Wes for some kind of support, throwing him daggers when she got nothing.

"Not at all. We're getting a transport back home as soon as we dock again. I mean it this time," Wedge said, turning to continue walking. By instinct, his three former subordinates followed, Tycho taking hold of Myri's upper arm and leading her along.

When they reached their quarters, Wedge turned to Tycho and nodded. He let go of Myri's arm and looked to Hobbie. Hobbie nodded and threw a sad look to Wes before the two went into his and Wes' room, leaving father, daughter, and one very uncomfortable pilot in the hall.


	7. Six

Suddenly it was as if Wes and Myri couldn't look Wedge in the eye. Silence stretched for a good five minutes in which Wedge's glare passed from his daughter to one of his best friends multiple times. He couldn't help the anger that was building in his chest. Thinking about the simple fact that Wes was close to 30 years her senior put him teetering precariously on the edge of absolute fury. The fact that Wes was one of his most trusted confidants didn't help matters much either.

"Not so long ago, Iella and I had a dinner party that you both attended. Wes, you sat next to me. Myri, you were the happy announcement in your mother that was the reason for the party."

He let it sink in until Wes finally looked him in the eye. He opened his mouth to speak, but Wedge cut him off.

"Think about that some more. I need to go take a walk. I expect to see you nowhere near one another when I get back."

With that, Wedge turned and walked down the hall. When Wes had the nerve to look at Myri, she was ready for a venomous attack.

"You didn't say anything!"

"What was I supposed to say!" Wes exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

"Anything! Anything besides just standing there looking like an idiot," she continued her accusation as she shoved him aside and went into her father's room, "Or perhaps what you said back at the Mirmount was a lie."

Wes fell back into the wall, absolutely dumbfounded. A fresh wave of frustration overtook him and he lashed out at the wall. He couldn't even feel the crunch of his knuckles fracturing as he left a deep dent in the durasteel walls. He stalked off in the opposite direction that Wedge had. He didn't hear Tycho and Hobbie calling after him. He walked down to the bars on the Corellian Diamond, the blaster dangling against his hip daring someone to try and mess with him.

Wes didn't notice the blood caked over his hand until his very attractive Twileki bartender gave it an odd look. As a show of bravado, he overturned his glass of asmirinth on his injured hand. The liquid stung like no other, but he wiped the inflamed skin clear o the blood.

"Very macho," the bartender commented, leaning forward on the bar and picking up his glass, her lekku brushing against his arm. Wes looked at the Twilek. His vision was slightly blurry and he had lost count of how many glasses of asmirinth he had consumed. Still, he motioned to the glass in her hands, "More."

She obliged him, filling the glass and placing it on the countertop, "You have much more and I'm going to be dragging you out of here."

Wes chuckled, bringing the glass to his lips and sipping the harsh liquor.

"I'd drag you all the way to my quarters if I had to," she quipped, walking away to help other patrons.

Wes stared at his glass for a few moments, then his eyes trailed over to the bartender. She threw him a glance over her lekku that he had seen plenty of times before. He turned the possibility of taking her up on her offer over a few times in his head. It wasn't wise, but he was so drunk that all signs pointed to, "Go for it. You can't love Myri."

That didn't mean that he didn't feel guilty, but he drowned that in alcohol also, waiting for the Twilek. A soon as she left the bar, he allowed her to lad him to her quarters, stopping only momentarily to glance at the holstered weapon on his hip and say, "That's quite a big blaster you've got there."

When Wedge returned from his walk, Tycho had already gone to bed. Myri sat out on the observing balcony, staring out at the stars and planets outside the thick glass. Wedge came out onto the balcony and his daughter's head snapped around to look at him as he walked to the glass.

"Would you be insulted if I told you that my life is much more tolerable without you in it?" she asked.

When Wedge's shoulders began to shake, Myri was afraid that she had cut too deeply with her words, but when her father turned, his lips were curled into a smile, "Not at all, because the same is true for me, also."

Myri gave her father the first genuine smile she had given him since her younger years, "How are my mother and sister then?"

"You mother is the same as she's always been, "Wedge told her, dropping onto the cushioned bench next to her, "She experience guilt over losing you every now and then, but expresses it by wailing glasses of alcohol at me and telling me that it was my fault."

"And Syal?" she spoke her sister's name with distaste.

"She's very rarely around either. The only difference is that she's dancing around with a lab coat on and is learning something from her experiences."

Myri took his jibe with a smirk. She had her own arsenal in her mind, "I am learning from my experiences. I've learned that military personal are better lovers than tourists."

She stood and patted her father on the shoulder, saying, "Don't look so surprised, Daddy," before walking inside and leaving him in a state of moderate discomfort.

The next morning, Myri rose earlier than Wedge or Tycho. She left their room and knocked on Hobbie and Wes' door. Hobbie answered shirtless and rubbing sleep from his eyes.

Myri gazed past him at the one neatly made bed, "Wes is up already?"

"He never came back last night," Hobbie said with a yawn.

She fought off the jealousy that began to eat away at her insides and got down to business, "I need to go back to my quarters to pick up a few things, and I need an escort."

Hobbie nodded and Myri waited in the hallway until he came out of the room fully dressed. The two stayed quiet as they walked to her quarters. Hobbie stayed in the hallway as Myri quickly packed a bag full of her clothes and toiletries. She gave a quick glance to the door over her shoulder as she stuffed a small satchel with what was left of her glitterstim stash in the bag.

"All done," she told Hobbie with a smile as she came out of the room. They walked back down to the other quarters.

"I'd like to take a shower, but Dad and Tycho are sleeping. Do you mind if I use the one in your room?"

"Not a problem," Hobbie said, opening the door to their room. Myri headed into the 'fresher and Hobbie laid back down, switching on the Holonet.

Myri turned th4 shower system on to conceal the noise she made as she tapped herself a few lines on the vanity top. She quickly inhaled the glitterstim and put everything back away in her bag. She stepped into the hot stream of water and let the drugs begin to take effect.

Wes came back to the room just as she was stepping out of the shower. She dressed in the refresher as he conversed with Hobbie about his whereabouts on the previous night.

"Where were you?" Hobbie asked.

"Oh, Hobs, you wouldn't believe the Twilek I bagged last night," Wes responded with a huge grin on his face. When Hobbie's face became more solemn than he had ever seen, he turned around and could've sworn his heart had stopped beating.

Myri pulled her bag up over her shoulder, unable to hold his gaze, "I'm going back to my father's room."

"Myri, I—"

The door clicked closed before he could even begin to redeem himself.


	8. Seven

The ship docked at it's next destination later on in the evening. Myri didn't know what planet it was, not that it mattered; her final destination would be Corellia. Wedge didn't want to complicate the vacation for any of the others, so he didn't need them to come.

As they said their goodbyes, the mood was gloomy. All eyes were on Wes and Myri as they met on the circuit of hugs. He moved forward to embrace her, but her flinch made him stop.

He took a deep breath and it shuddered out, "I'm sorry Myri. Goodbye."

Wes whirled and walked away from the group. He flung off Tycho's hand as he made a grab for his shoulder. As Myri and Wedge turned towards their shuttle, she closed her eyes to stop the tears from falling. Wedge got in contact with Iella as soon as he got a change to make her aware of their return. He left out almost all the detail about how he came across their daughter, over-emphasizing his excitement of finding her at all.

The atmosphere was awkward as Myri walked into what had once been her home. Her mother came flying out of the nowhere, nearly knocking her over in an embrace she could have done without.

"Oh, my baby girl, I thought I'd never see you again!" Iella exclaimed as overdramatic tears flowed down her cheeks.

Over her shoulder, Myri gave her father a look the expressed extreme discomfort, "Well mother, here I am."

"Why don't you bring your things up stairs to your room and I'll whip up a quick meal for you?" Iella said, gesturing to the few pieces of luggage she had brought with her.

"Thank you," Myri said softly, picking up her baggage and heading up the spiral staircase. She walked down the hallway to her old bedroom, almost wondering what she would see behind the door.

She was actually not surprised at the fact that her mother had redecorated the entire room in her absence. For all her acting before, Iella was obviously ready to erase all signs of her existence. She wasn't insulted by it; she had expected it.

Myri dropped her bags on the pale green bedspread that didn't belong to her on a bed that was against a wall that she had never put it against. She guessed that they had turned it into a guest room after they had sent her away.

She walked into the adjoining 'fresher that had once attached her and Syal's bedrooms. She splashed some water on her face to try and clear her fuzzy mind of thoughts of Wes and all the events that had transpired in the past few days.

When she came back downstairs, Wedge was already sitting at the table in their dining room. He gave her a hopeful smile which she returned half-heartedly. She sat down beside him just as Iella came bustling into the room with some local game fowl. The room was silent as they all took from the poultry and vegetables that were in front of them.

Iella broke the silence in her usual overzealous fashion, "As soon as I heard from your father, I just had to comm your sister and tell her the wonderful news!"

"Oh, mother, there's no reason to do that. She's probably very busy," Myri was craving the stim that she had stowed in her bag. She pushed her food around on her plate; her mother's behavior was clamping down on what little appetite she had left after what Wes had said earlier that day.

"She sure is," her mother responded, "As soon as she gets out of the lab, she said she would jet over here to see you."

"That would be wonderful to have the whole family back together again," Wedge added, casting a cautious glance to his daughter.

"I think I'm actually quite tired at the moment," Myri excused herself, "I'm going to get some rest."

She left her parents at the table and hurried up to her bedroom. She rummaged through her bag to pull out the small satchel that held the remains of her stash. Myri tapped out a few lines on her bedside table and inhaled them quickly. She had just enough time to get her supplies away before the high dosage of the drug set in and she was sent into a sleepy euphoria.

Over the next week, she spent as much time as possible locked in her room. Iella had given up very quickly on her horrible acting skills and gone back to the normal behavior that Myri was more familiar with.

One day, Myri had just finished putting her stash away when she heard a knock at the door. She quickly slid her bag under her bed and wiped at her nose.

"Come in!" she called.

She was expecting either of her parents, maybe even her sister, certainly not Hobbie, to open the door. She adjusted the small sleeping garments she chose to wear; she was most comfortable in them, and she certainly hadn't been expecting company.

"Hi," Hobbie said cordially, his face flushing a slight shade of pink, expressing his embarrassment at seeing her alone like this.

"Hello Derek," she didn't know what exactly made her use his real name, but she loved the way it felt on her lips. Powerful.

He, too, seemed a bit surprised, "I-uh-Wes wanted me to come visit you as soon as we got back."

"Please, sit," she said, patting an area o f the bed next to her. Hobbie sat gently onto the bed, swallowing audibly.

"He wanted to let you know that he is very sorry for his behavior—"

"Not as sorry as he should be," Myri said, crawling behind him and beginning to massage his shoulders, "Isn't that right Derek?"

"Yes," he whispered dreamily, closing his eyes at the relaxing sensations began to tingle down his spine. It spread further as she felt her lips against his neck, and had no qualms as her arms moved over his chest. Nor did he stop her when she moved around him and straddled herself across his lab. He was well aware that he was the vessel for whatever revenge Myri had planned and Wes deserved

Hobbie only questioned his actions once, and that was far too long after he and Myri were already undressed and a tangle of arms and legs. Both dressed quickly after their time of false passion. Hobbie was under her spell for the time being, and he knew it. He could only nod as he looked into her turquoise eyes as she said, "Let Wes know that he's going to have to do a lot more than send you to apologize for his mistakes."

Hobbie left her room and walked down the stairs in quite a daze. He only slightly sobered when Wedge met him at the bottom of the staircase.

"How is she doing?" he asked, not noticing Hobbie's slightly disheveled appearance.

"Oh, she's good. She's very good." Hobbie answered absentmindedly, then caught himself, "I mean, she seems fine."

Wedge nodded, "I hope so. She hasn't exactly adjusted to being back at home. Maybe having you men around might help. You would have to keep an eye on her and Wes though. I'm not sure of what's going on there anymore, but I know I probably wouldn't like it."

"Absolutely, Wedge," Hobbie swallowed hard again, "I'll let Tycho and Wes know, and we'll try and get out here for a visit."

As more time passed, Myri was quickly becoming bored with her surroundings at the house. She was so used to going out every night with Sirra, or working with her, that sitting in her room seemed like a foreign, childish concept. One night, she decided that she needed to get out of the awkward atmosphere. By the time she was ready to leave, both Wedge and Iella had gone to bed. She quietly padded down the stairs in the short, tight green number she had chosen to wear, strapping a very high pair of heels on only when she reached the bottom. As she came to the front door, she was surprised to see it slide aside. She was positive that her parents had gone to bed, so there was only one other person it could have been.

Syal was also quite shocked to see her younger sister, scantily clad and towering over her, "Gods, Myri, you scared me!"

Myri stepped back form her, "Sorry. You're coming in late."

Syal's chocolate brown eyes narrowed, "You're going out late. Are mom and dad aware of this?"

Myri rolled her eyes, suddenly very annoying, "No, and you can give up the babysitter act. I'm not twelve anymore."

Syal sighed. Her sister's attitude could be exhausting sometimes, "Whatever. Just be careful."

"Ok, mom," the younger woman snapped, stepping around her sister and slapping the control so that she door panel slid shut and locked behind her.

Syal shook her head, walking to the kitchen to make herself a cup of herbal tea, "Just like old times."


	9. Eight

As if being back at home with her parents wasn't enough to drive Myri absolutely insane, having Syal home just twisted the screw into her brain that much more. As much as both were trying to avoid one another, the siblings found themselves crossing paths constantly.

Myri hadn't been paying attention to how much time had gone by since she had left the Corellian Diamond, nor the interesting visit Hobbie had paid. Adding the amount of stim she was using to the equation and it felt like it had only been a few days since she had been reunited with her family, as opposed to the month and a half it had been.

After hearing voices in the main sitting room, Myri came out of her bedroom and glanced over the balcony. She saw Wes, Tycho, and Hobbie sitting on several couches in the room. She hurried back into her bedroom to clean herself up a bit, changing into a sleek pair of pants and a light blue tunic. She went into the bathroom and tousled her hair to give it volume as well as applied a bit of makeup to brighten up her features, which showed slight signs of exhaustion from the after-crash of stim.

Myri finally headed downstairs to interrupt what was apparently a very amusing story that Syal had been entertaining the group with. Wedge and Iella were also listening behind the open bar counter that separated the kitchen and living area.

For both Hobbie and Wes, Syal's story had suddenly fallen on deaf ears when Myri entered the room. An uncomfortable silence fell over the room that slightly satisfied her. She felt empowered by the fact that her presence commanded so much attention, be it positive or negative.

Syal and Iella were both confused by the cool looks that passed between Wes and Myri. It was hard for anyone else to ignore the crackling tension that filled the air as she crossed the room to greet her father's friends.

Myri heightened the discomfort in the room when she sent Hobbie a sly smirk as she said, "Hello boys."

She moved to give each one of them a kiss on the cheek. She lingered only slightly when she came to Wes, keeping her lips against his cheek for an extra heartbeat that was long enough to make him feel slightly sicker than he had when she first walked in the room.

"What's to drink, daddy?" Myri asked, walking into the kitchen and leaving Syal to continue her story. She could feel Wes' gaze lingering on her.

"Whyren's Reserve, actually," Wedge told his daughter, "Would you like yours straight up or mixed?"

"Straight up, please."

"Should you even be drinking at all, darling?" Iella asked a bit too cheerfully.

"If I'm not mistaken, Myri's legally old enough to make that decision for herself," Wedge saved them from argument, pouring the riche amber liquid over ice and sliding it across the counter to Myri.

The young woman deftly fielded the glass and took a sip, smacking her lips. She leaned up and gave her father a kiss on the cheek, "Thank you, daddy."

Myri left a satisfied father and dumbfounded mother in the kitchen, walking out to the balcony that led off from the main sitting area. She leaned against the cool ferrocrete railing, soaking in the last of the evening sun. She watched as various vehicles flew by in the streets in the valley below their estate.

The distraction left her mildly surprised when she felt a pair of strong arms come around her own and heard Wes' voice in her ear, "I heard about Hobbie's little visit…or should I say Derek's?"

Myri scoffed, sipping from her glass, "What about it?"

She was expecting her nonchalance about the whole thing to get on his nerves. What she didn't expect was for him to take hold of her arms and turn her to face him, "Don't you think that sleeping with my best friend is a little foolish, immature even?"

"You must be kidding. You're 47 years old, lecturing me about immaturity, while your foolish and immature actions regarding a certain Twilek you 'bagged'," she mocked him vehemently, "started this."

"True as that may be, two wrongs don't make a right, Myri."

"What do you want me to do? Forgive you? Act like it never happened and follow you around like a lovesick waif? I've had many men tell me they loved me before, Wes."

"Because you took your clothes off for them," he snapped, his eyes slamming deflector shields down to his emotions as he moved closer to her, "Tell me, how many of them have you slept with and still told you they loved you the next day?"

Wes could see tears begin to glaze over her eyes. He nearly thought he had taken too low a blow until she hid them behind another sip of brandy. It numbed the pain that she felt when he pointed out how worthless most people had thought she was.

"I came out here for privacy," she said, seemingly in less control of her voice, "My father is going to be very suspicious if he sees us out here alone together, especially if you're standing this close to me."

It was true; Wes was standing so close to her that he could taste the brandy on his own lips. His senses were completely barraged by her. All he could see was her eyes. All he could smell was the liquor. All he could hear was her voice.

For a long time, neither spoke. They stared one another down, both equally unsure of just what they were feeling for one another. There was a dangerous storm brewing between them and the only thing that they could agree on was that it was real. Finally, Wes' jaw relaxed from its slightly agape position and his eyes softened.

"I love you, Myri Antilles."

"I love you, Wes Janson."

"Stop sleeping with my friends."

"Stop sleeping with the rest of the galaxy."

Myri silenced their banter with a ferocious kiss. Wes' hands pushed against her back, drawing her closer as he drank in the mind blowing taste of the passion that existed between them. She left him breathing heavily on the balcony, turning back towards the sliding doors and walking back inside. Wes had to shake his head to clear the fuzzy feeling that came with kissing her. Every time was like a whirlwind.

When he finally composed himself enough to come back inside, the rest of the group had already sat down for dinner. Wes couldn't keep his eyes off of Myri while they were at the table; the way that she flipped her hair and laughed at her father's jokes, the way she became uncomfortably reserved when her mother spoke, the way that she rolled her eyes as her sister talked about the work she was doing. He was enthralled by every move she made. He was completely infatuated with her.

That was why when dinner was over and the former pilots were sent on their way to the hostel where they were staying during the proceeding week before a banquet that was being held to celebrate the longevity of Rogue Squadron, Wes quietly made his way back to the Antilles household.

He was able to duck past all the security systems without a problem. He would have been ashamed of his loss of skill had he not been able to. He snuck around the back of the house and faced a wall of windows. If he chose wrong, he could be expecting very painful, yet accurate blaster wounds from a sleepy, angry Wedge Antilles. He studied the windows for several long moments and sighed. There was only one way to do it.

Wes picked up a stone from the ground and closed his eyes, randomly pointing a finger at the second floor of the house. He opened his eyes and tossed the stone at the nearest window to the place he had pointed. It bounced off with a soft 'thunk' and came back to the ground.

Wes waited in pure fear for someone to come to the window. When he saw a wild cascade of brunette hair through the transparisteel, a smile lit his features.

"And they say Corellians don't run from the odds," he watched as Myri slid the window aside, "Hey, beautiful."

"You're insane," she whispered down to him with a grin, "What are you doing here?"

"Couldn't sleep. You were running through my mind from the moment I left," he answered softly, "Let me in."

"My sister just went downstairs; you can't go that way," she glanced at the thick vines that crawled up the side of the house, "Thank you can get up those?"

Wes walked to the wall, giving an experimental tug on one of the vines. It didn't move. He looked up to her, hoping the grin on his face was more reassuring to her than he felt it was, "It's worth a shot, but if I fall, tell your father that I was chasing an intruder."

He took a strong hold of the vines, using them as a rope to climb his way up the side of the house. By the time he reached her window, he was panting and sweating. He was more embarrassed by his apparent lack of endurance than his appearance.

"I'm getting too old for this," he said, grabbing hold of the windowsill. Myri laughed and took hold of his wrists, stabilizing him so that he could bring his feet up onto the sill. Wes swung himself inside and in one swift move took Myri into his arms and leaned her backwards, giving her a breathtaking kiss.

"How's that for a heroic entrance?" he gasped when they broke for air.

"I only hope that you have enough energy for the rest of the night," Myri told him, an enticing grin crossing her features for a few moments before she pushed him back to her bed.


	10. Nine

Wes cursed the sunlight as it slowly crawled into Myri's bedroom. They were a tangle of arms and legs, skin on skin on top of the bed sheets that were soaked from the hours and hours of lovemaking that had occurred over the night. In his entire lifetime, Wes hadn't been able to use more than two of his signature moves that he prided himself on. With Myri, he went through his entire repertoire twice. His entire body was burning with fatigue. Myri, on the other hand, slept quite soundly in his arms, her head snuggled against his shoulder.

"To be young again," he murmured softly, then chucked. At the moment, he felt as if he had gone back in time and was reliving his entire reckless post-adolescence of debauchery with one gorgeous woman. She may have not yet lived two full decades, but Wes was sure that she was more of a woman than any female he had ever met. She had the body, brain, and skills to prove it. It just happened to be very disconcerting that all these things were a product of Wedge Antilles.

Wes had gotten so wrapped up in his thoughts while staring at her that he hadn't realized the room was now fully lit by the morning sun. He shook his head sadly and gently stroked his fingers down her cheek, "Myri, I have to go."

He regretted his words the moment she opened her turquoise eyes. He wanted to stay all day. Wes began to pull away, but Myri's legs tightened around his hips.

"Don't go yet," she purred, "Not like that. Leave me with something special."

Wes laughed softly and pressed her back against the pillows that surrounded them. E held himself above her for a few moments, long enough to quip, "Can't deny a beautiful woman," before plunging deeply into another passionate tryst with her.

Out in the hallway, Syal was heading for the stairs. She had to get to the lab early to make preparations for the few days that she wouldn't be able to be there. As she passed her younger sister's room, she could hear Myri calling out. Concerned, she opened the door, "Myri, are you alright? I heard y—"

He was naked, but she couldn't see his face; his bare backside was to her. Syal recoiled in horror as it hit her like a ton of ferrocrete what she had just walked in on. She exited the room as quickly as possible, shutting the door softly behind her and putting a hand against her chest. She walked away from the door at a fast pace, trying to put as much space as possible between her and what was going on in her sister's room.

Later that evening, Myri had the gall to parade around in a lounging gown that look more like a slightly-too-long tunic as the family made dinner. As Syal peeled tubers, she tried her best not to pay attention to her younger sister. It was hard to ignore her dancing and twirling around the kitchen as she got ingredients to make a salad. Apparently, the scene that Syal walked in on that morning had warmed up her icy exterior, and all the while their parents were thinking nothing of it. To save them their dignity, Syal stopped what she was doing and turned to face Iella and Wedge, who were mixing ingredients for a meatloaf.

"Myri had someone over last night," the words sounded quite childish coming from the 21-year-old scientist.

"Whatever are you talking about?" Iella asked, flanking from Syal to Myri, who had looked up from the head of lettuce she was breaking up.

"There was a man; he was here this morning when I left for work. I heard noise coming from Myri's room and I went to check it out—"

"How dare you!" Myri exclaimed, shooting her sister a look that would have killed her if it was possible, "Just because you're slaving your life away in the lab doesn't mean that you have to go making up ridiculous stories to bring me down with you!"

"You lying little harlot!" Syal snapped, moving forward to try and threaten her. Had Myri not been so furious, she would have laughed. She wasn't exactly built to seem ominous.

"Now, now, calm down you two," Wedge said, grabbing his older daughter's shoulder and holding her still. Myri slammed the head of lettuce down on the countertop and stepped right up to Syal. She wanted to see how her older sister would react if she called her bluff.

"No Dad, I'd like to see what her next move was."

"Glad to see nothing has changed," Iella commented. Wedge threw her a look of sarcastic thankfulness. Though he was well aware that this was careening past the point of no return, he still didn't want to see Myri wipe the floor with Syal.

"Now girls, can we not have you rip each other's hair out all over our dinner?" he asked them, trying to lighten things with a carefully placed joke. The two paid him no attention and just kept glaring at one another.

"Yea, Myri, how would you attract your customers while you've got patches of scalp showing?" Syal spat bitterly.

"Syal!" Wedge bellowed, "You're being completely out of line! Get out of my sight until you can act like a sensible adult."

Syal turned to her mother, hoping to win some amnesty from her, "How can you let her come back and destroy our family again? It's only gotten worse since she's walked back through that door!"

That little plea sent Myri right off the deep end. Years of loneliness and frustration, fear and sadness boiled to a massive explosion as she plowed through her father with ease and shoved her sister into the far wall of the kitchen. Syal hit the wall hard, taken unexpectedly by what felt like a stun bolt hitting her. Dazed, she was helpless as Myri took hold of her thick blonde hair and slammed her head against the wall.

"You have anything to say now?" Myri yelled as her sister erupted into hysterical screams and pleas for help. Her hair was already reddening with blood from a gash that had split right at her hairline.

Wedge and Iella could believe the melee that was their younger daughter. Wedge moved first, struggling to pull Myri off of Syal as she brutally punched her in the stomach..

"By the Gods, Myri, you're out of your mind!" Iella exclaimed as Wedge pulled her arms behind her back and held them there. She instantly regretted what she had said when Myri's manic eyes turned on her.

"I didn't ask to come back to this," she shouted, "My work may not have been respectable in any of your eyes, but I got more respect there, more love, than I ever did in this house!"

She thrashed backwards against Wedge, sending him tipping and he let go of her. Myri stormed up the stairs as Iella ran to help Syal, who had made a mess of herself and the floor as she curled up into a ball, sobbing hysterically.

Wedge followed his younger daughter, and as he came to her bedroom, he could clearly hear her slamming her clothing trunks and knew that she would be leaving. He pushed open the door, glancing around at the terrible mess she had made of her room in the short amount of time she had been in there. When she whirled to face him, the tears streaming down her cheeks nearly shattered his heart.

"How could you bring me back here?" her voice was hoarse and all she could manage was a weak whisper, "I can't live under this roof with that wench. I refuse to believe that we share the same gene pool."

Wedge sighed, shaking his head sadly as he realized that he had failed her miserably, "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I wanted so badly for us to be a whole family again—"

"It will never happen," Myri returned to her packing, zipping her bag, "I can't stay here."

"Where will you go?" he knew very well that his daughter was loose ion cannon. He couldn't let her just walk into the night on her own.

"I'll go stay with We—" she sighed when her father's face fell, "With Hobbie."

Wedge nodded, disappointed with her and with himself. He let the sickening feeling of his failure simmer for a moment into a contentedness with her decision on staying with Hobbie. At the moment, he trusted him more than Wes, judging by the short-lived relationship that had existed between him and Myri, "Just let me know that you get there safely."

Myri walked to her father, wiping her tear stained cheeks and reached out to give him an exhausting hug. Wedge returned the embrace strongly, running a hand through her dark hair and kissing her forehead. He gave her a gentle, reassuring smile as they pulled apart.

"That was a great drop you had on her, by the way…"

"Thank you, daddy."


	11. Ten

Hobbie was very surprised to see Myri when he opened the door to the room he was staying in during the week before the gala that was being held for Rogue Squadron. He wasn't surprised though, at the fact that he felt nothing more than surprise in seeing her. It was a great relief to him and probably also to Wes, who had told Hobbie about their reconciliation.

"Derek, I need a favor…"

"Anything, Myri," he said, hoping he didn't sound as whipped as he thought he did, "Come on in."

He let her into his quarters and Myri placed her bag on the floor so that she could give him a kiss on the cheek, "There was a huge fight at my house. I can't stay under the same roof as my sister, and my father agreed that it was in my best interest to stay with you up until the gala. He doesn't really trust Wes and I shacking up."

"Not a problem, almost. I only have one bed," Hobbie responded, sitting down on the piece of furniture in question.

"I don't mind sharing with you," there was no innuendo in her voice.

"Wes would," he said.

Myri smiled as Hobbie raised his eyebrows, "He'll be fine, trust me. So, do we have a deal?"

"Yea, sure. So long as you tell me when happened."

Myri blushed slightly at the question. It was an interesting story to try and explain without making her sound like an absolute maniac. She plopped down onto the bed next time him, drawing one of her legs up underneath her, "Apparently my sister walked in on Wes and I this morning, and neither of us kn—"

"Wes didn't sleep here last night?"

"He didn't sleep anywhere," Myri joked, satisfied when she saw it cause him some discomfort, "Anyway, she decided to blurt this out in the middle of making dinner. She didn't know it was Wes, but she threw the fact that I wasn't in bed alone out like an immature little brat. Some harsh words were said, things got heated, and I slammed her head into a wall."

"Sithspawn, Myri!"

She grinned, "It was pretty unreal, yea. Needless to say, I don't want to be there and the other women in my family don't want me there. So now I'm here."

"How's Wedge?"

Myri sighed, it being the only thing that she felt bad about, "He's pretty frazzled because it all happened so fast. I don't think he expected it of me. I can tell he's disappointed in the fact that our family can't function as a unit anymore, but he doesn't directly place blame on anyone, unlike my mother and sister."

There was a knock at the door, and both looked up as Wes popped his head into the room. He was surprised as well as suspicious of seeing Myri sitting on Hobbie's bed.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, letting himself in fully.

"Major family drama—"

"She slammed her sister's head into the wall," Hobbie interrupted.

"Subtle way of showing your distaste for her. What brought this Yuuzhan Vong love fest on?" Wes chuckled.

"She saw us."

"In bed," Hobbie quipped.

Myri threw him a look and he smiled, now satisfied. She looked back at Wes, who was clearly frozen in panic, expecting Wedge to come barreling in the door at any moment to kill him.

"Don't worry," she assured him, "My parents think that she was making it up to cause a problem. Besides, she didn't say your name. You're safe for now."

"So you're staying here for how long?"

Myri shrugged, "At least until the gala, perhaps longer. I have to get in touch with my father and let him know that I'm here."

"Main comm station is down the hall," Hobbie told her, jerking a thumb in the direction of it.

Wes watched her leave the room, then turned back to Hobbie, "She is certainly something else. I wouldn't ever want to be on the receiving end of her anger. She's getting her own quarters?"

"Not exactly. Wedge doesn't trust you because you're sleeping with his youngest daughter, so he said she could stay with me—"

"And I don't trust you, so she should obviously go stay with Tycho," Wes finished pointedly.

"So he can find out that the two of you are still seeing one another? I won't say anything if she disappears in the middle of the night. He will," Hobbie reasoned, 'Besides, he'll probably have Tycho spying on you anyway."

Wes turned the ideas over in his head several times before coming to terms with the fact that her sleeping in the same bed with Hobbie was the only real solution. He sighed and headed for the door, "Send her to my room when she's finished. Oh, and Hobs…?"

"Yes?"

"I'll kill you if you touch her."

Hobbie grinned and lay back on his bed. Wes didn't have anything to worry about. Myri was an ace in the bedroom, but he preferred a girl who had all her components in their proper places. Myri's actions and lifestyle proved that she was bordering on being unfit for normal society, as she had her entire life. Fortunately, this was also a trait that most people didn't know Wes also shared. Despite the large age difference, their personalities complimented one another, be it in a sick, twisted fashion, or worse.

A few minutes later, after Hobbie directed her, Myri knocked on Wes' door. He answered as if he knew she was coming, swinging the door open casually. He threw her a charming smile that she returned and he led her in to his temporary quarters.

"How's Wedge?" he asked, sitting on his bed and picking up the brew he had been drinking from his bedside table.

"He was attempting to help my mother attend to my sister. According to him, I knocked her pretty good. Dad said she had a nasty gash on her forehead."

"Just in time for the gala!" Wes couldn't help but laugh as he took a sip of his drink.

"Not that she has anyone to impress. I have a feeling that her and I are going to be the only two there without escorts," Myri commented, "As if it's not going to be odd enough seeing people I haven't seen since I was 10, it's just plain embarrassing to have nothing to distract attention from yourself."

"I wouldn't let it bother you. Hobbie and I are each other's dates. We found out this morning that Winter's going to be able to get here, so we were left with no choice but one another."

"I'm sure Hobbie's thrilled."

"Why's that?"

"Who wouldn't want to show up with the brave, dashing, handsome Wes Janson?"

"Go on."

Myri knocked him in the arm playfully, "Did I mention arrogant?"

"You think I'm arrogant? Wait until you meet some of your old man's friends from Wraith Squadron. Particularly Face Loran. I'm sure he'll hit on you, regardless of if he has a date or not."

"Sounds like my kind of man," she joked.

Wes chucked and smoothly slid his arms around her back, pulling her closer to him, "Yea, baby, he learned from the best."

"You're horrid."

"You're enthralled by my greatness."

Wes leaned over and kissed her gently. The ale tasted rich and inviting on his lips, and she deepened the kiss, snaking her arms around his neck. He placed his mug back on the bedside table so that he could focus more attention on the woman on his bed.

"I'll tell you, several days without having to sneak around is going to be absolutely blissful," Wes said when he pulled back from her, his face already flushed.

Myri took hold of his collar and pulled him back to her, "Just shut up and kiss me."


	12. Eleven

The days and nights were just as blissful as Wes had imagined. There was no Wedge, no Mirmount; it was just he and Myri. There were the occasionally dress fittings that they all had to attend, but all other times were spent specifically alone and specifically in bed.

The weather was beautiful on the evening of the gala. Myri was nervous from the moment she had woken up that morning. Wedge came to pick her up and bring her back to the house where Syal and Iella were already being primped for the evening's activities. Iella just stared as her youngest daughter walked into the main sitting area. She was already dressed in an ivory gown, her hair pulled into a harsh bun and accentuated with a large jeweled headband. Makeup artists were swarming around Syal, trying to properly cover the wound on her forehead. Myri covered her mouth and faked a cough to cover the smile that came to her lips.

"Your dress is behind the screen," her mother said evenly, "I don't like it, but I guess it suits you."

Myri ignored the jibe and headed behind the screen she spoke of. Myri grinned when her eyes fell on the dress she had chosen. It was a deep red satin number that dipped low in the back and front, form fitting until it hit mid-thigh, where it split and flowed to her ankle. She changed into the ravishing gown, sitting on the small stool beside the mirror to put on the heels she had chosen to go with the dress.

"High and strappy, of course," she murmured, smiling at herself as she stood and looked in the mirror. She came out from behind the screen and the room became silent. It only served to make Myri more nervous. There would be holocams everywhere at the gala, and she knew that citizens of Corellia were already lining up around the blue carpet to view the stars that would be showing up that night.

"How inappropriately appropriate," Syal commented from the vanity she sat in front of. She was wearing a simply cut lavender dress. Myri raised an eyebrow, something of a challenge that she could still beat her sister senseless, even in such formal attire. Syal's face fell and Myri sat down at the vanity beside her and makeup and hair attendants began buzzing around her. She was ready in a half hour, her hair in a cascade of curls pulled into an elegant tail held with a bejeweled clip and her face carefully constructed. She looked more like a holovid star than a general's daughter.

Wedge was quickly dressed in his uniform and an extra sash was placed across his chest, the bright blue material adding a splash of color to the simple uniform, which was doubly accentuated with all of his medals and ranks, which had all been cleaned and shined.

The family was picked up by their transport and rode to Corellia's Grand Palace. As the transport slowed to a stop in front of the huge building, Myri could feel her nerves getting more frazzled. It had been many years since she'd been to an event like this. She was used to the dark loneliness o the Mirmount; here, hundreds of people surrounded the blue carpet that was blazingly lit by the late afternoon sun.

Wedge stepped out of the transport first, closely followed by Iella. AS Syal moved out, Myri could already hear the roar of the crowd. Her family was planned as the last to arrive due to Wedge's military status, so the blue carpet was already full of familiar faces as Myri stepped out of the transport.

She was almost blinded by the flashes of the holocameras and deafened by the shouted questions fro the press and other citizens. She was frozen in an overwhelming rush of activity, and her father had to take her hand and lead her forward onto the carpet so that pictures of the family could be taken.

Myri composed herself and smiled for the flashes as she stood next to her sister, but her eyes were scanning the people on the blue carpet. She recognized Luke Skywalker and his wife, who held their young son on her hip. She also recognized the Solo family standing nearby them; Han and Leia stood aside their twin children, Jacen and Jaina. Myri felt a pang of sadness when she remembered their younger son Anakin, who had died several years ago during the Yuuzhan Vong war. That feeling quickly lifted when she finally picked Wes out of the crowd.

He was standing with several different species of living beings, a group which was the next stop on the Antilles' travels up the blue carpet. These were the former and present members of Wraith Squadron, the group Wes had been telling her about. She vaguely listened to a few names as her father introduced them: Kell and Syria Tainer, Face Loran, Voort saBinring. Wes moved over to her as everyone began to mingle. He was closely followed by the man Wedge had introduced as Face. He graciously took her hand and kissed it, bowing slightly.

"The enigmatic Myri Antilles," he said, "I'm so glad to finally meet you. I was heartbroken when I heard that you opted to go to boarding school rather than join Starfighter Command."

"I wasn't ever much of a pilot," she responded, throwing a glance to Wes. He was favoring her with a mixed expression: an "I told you so." For Face's actions, another underneath that was in a daze from her appearance.

Wedge and Iella moved to greet the members of Rogue Squadron and Syal had gotten into a scientific conversation with Voort. Myri stayed at Wes' side, engaging in a quiet personal conversation as the press and other sentient beings buzzed around them.

"You look beautiful," Wes said softly, looking over his shoulder to make sure they were out of earshot.

Myri moved slightly closer to him, "Is there anywhere less populated we can go?"

"I'm afraid not—why?"

"Because I'm not going to able to be near you for much longer without doing something about it."

Wes chuckled, "Likewise. It looks like everyone's heading inside. Why don't we head in and see what we can do about our little predicament?"

Once they were inside the Grand Palace, Wes and Myri had to part ways to go to their respective tables. The Antilles were seated with the Skywalkers and Solos, as well as Tycho and Winter Celchu. Light conversation filled the great hallway as they were served dinner and champagne. After dinner came the award ceremony, where past and present members of Rogue Squadron were given various honors. As Wes, Hobbie, Tycho, and Wedge stood up on the bandstand among their peers, Myri gave the former two a wave. They both threw her smiles and medals were placed around their necks. The room stayed quiet after the awards ceremony, until the bandleader announced the dancing portion of the night.

"We will begin the night with a special dance of the Corellian Tango. The pilot that was awarded the most honors will take the floor first with the partner of his choice," the bandleader opened the envelope with the said pilot's name in it and had to roll his eyes and laugh as he said, "And of course that pilot is Captain Wes Janson."

Myri laughed out loud as a spotlight was placed on Wes. In a show of good cheer that set his former squadmates into hysterics, Wes put his hand to his chest in a joking show of surprise. He stood, bowing grandly for everyone's amusement.

Myri continued smiling until she realized that Wes was heading towards the table she sat at. Hobbie's mouth dropped, and Myri glanced out of the corner of her eye to see the shock on Wedge and Tycho's faces as they all realized the same thing that she had. She tried to shake her head as unnoticeably as possible as he neared her, but it only caused Wes to grin more.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, his eyes glittering in the bright light that now shone on both of them. He held a hand out to Myri, who felt much hotter now under the scrutiny of the spotlight and her father's friends. The hall was dead silent as Myri stared into Wes' eyes and saw the small fear there that no one else could see. There was a collective gasp that echoed through the hall as Myri stood and took his hand, which she felt trembling slightly.

They walked out to the middle of the dance floor as the band began playing. Myri glanced at Wes out of the corner of her eye, "Since when did you know how to do the Corellian Tango?"

"You'll find that I'm full of surprises," Wes responded, spinning her in front of him. Myri wasn't taken off guard; she and Sirra had been taught many forms of dance for their work at the Mirmount.

The Corellian Tango was by no means easy, even if one was a pro at it. Both partners had to pay attention to the others movements so that their bodies moved together, pressed closely against one another so that not a hint of light could be seen between them. It was dark and sensual, and Myri and Wes were moving through it with deft precision.

Wes had no problem lifting Myri's body into the air or spinning her in various twists and turn. Myri returned his strong movements with matched intensity, holding his weight as he tipped them back until Myri was almost parallel with the floor. It was a set up for the peak of the dance in which Wes swung Myri up into the air, spinning, as he changed direction in time to receive her in his arms. Myri landed flawlessly, Wes taking her in his arms and swinging her into the finishing stance, arms around one another and her right leg over his hip.

Staring directly into one another's eyes, lips only centimeters apart, bother was gasping for breath as the hall erupted in shouts and applause. Myri couldn't help but grin as they held their pose, "How does my father look?"

Wes hazarded a look over to her family's table, temporarily blinded by the dizzy flashes of press holocams. When his vision cleared, he couldn't help but chuckle as he caught Wedge's expression. Had this been less public, Wes would have been unconscious after taking a sucker punch to the temple from a very angry former commander.

"Impressed, but ready to kill me," he answered, lifting Myri back to her feet. They bowed for the still applauding crowd; everyone was baffled and amazed by the unexpected performance.

The bandleader invited everyone else onto the dance floor as another song began. Myri strayed from Wes' side as his former squadmates flocked toward them. She walked back to the table where her family still sat in amazement. She gave her sister a firm pat on the shoulder, "How was that for inappropriate?"

"That was unbelievable," Iella admitted, "Where did you learn to dance like that?"

Myri smiled at her mother, "Certainly not boarding school, I can tell you that much."

"You were a pretty big hit with the press," Wedge said, nodding towards the barrage of holoreporters heading towards their table, "Let's see how you handle this dance. It's quite different."

Myri took a deep breath before being rushed by the group, who started throwing questions at her the moment their holocams were running.

"Myri Antilles, is it true that you were sent away from your family because you were socially unbalanced?"

"What was your early alcohol addiction caused by?"

"How does it feel being trust into the spotlight with someone like Wes Janson?"

"You've certainly grown up, is there any lucky man in your life?"

Myri laughed, briefly glancing over to where Wes was now talking to his friends. She smiled at the press," So many questions, all at once! You'd imagine a girl would be given a chance to think!"

Her expression changed, becoming solemn, "Though I do believe less attention should be paid to me and more to the soldiers that gave countless time and energy to receive their awards they have been given tonight."

As she turned away from the crowd, a man's voice pressed, "Please, just one statement about yourself?"

Myri sighed and turned back towards them, and in one swift movement, they were ready to immortalize whatever words she said. Myri gave a tight-lipped smile and said, "I am very proud of my father and his squadmates' accomplishments, and I'm very glad that I was able to see them celebrated."

She turned away once again as they continued to shout more questions at her. Myri went to her father and slipped an arm through his, "A dance, daddy?"

"Abosolutely."


	13. Twelve

At the end of the night, Myri left the gala with her family, but once she was returned to the Antilles' household, she was instantly ready to go back to the hostel where everyone else was staying. Myri took a private escort there after changing into much more comfortable clothes than her dress had been.

When she arrived at the hostel, she found Tycho, Hobbie, and Wes all plastered to the holoscreen in front of them. Highlights from the gala were already on, and Myri placed herself on the floor next to Hobbie.

He nudged her when a holovid of her and Wes' dance began playing, "It looks good even on the 'net!"

Myri and Wes both grinned, proud of their work. She had to agree; her and Wes did look good together. She blushed a deep red when the clip of her quote showed not long after.

"Nice work, kid," Wes said, giving her a wink from atop his bed.

Myri gave him a sly smirk, her face flushing even more. They watched the rest of the recap until the holoreporter's final comment, "That Myri Antilles is certainly a piece of work. Her amazing dancing talents and mysterious behavior are signs that we haven't seen the last of her, and can only hope to witness the rising of this new star in the Antilles family."

"A star?" Myri echoed, chuckling wholeheartedly.

"You did put on quite the show," Tycho reminded her.

"Welcome to the ranks of greatness," Hobbie said, throwing his arm around her shoulder and pulling her to him in a brotherly embrace, "I'm heading to bed, what do you say?"

Myri caught Wes' glance briefly and smiled, "You took the words right out of my mouth. Night boys."

Hobbie and Myri left the room. As he said, Hobbie crawled into bed, but Myri waited up for a little while until she was sure that Tycho too had turned in for the night. She then tiptoed back to Wes' room, where he was quietly waiting in bed for her.

After house of exhausting lovemaking, they lay with limbs intertwined. Wes kissed her forehead, smiling as he said, "I'm slightly disappointed that I didn't get to take that dress off of you myself."

"Remind me to hold onto it then," Myri responded, "Sadly, I have to disappoint you further and head over to my real bed with Hobs."

"Alright, then. Goodnight gorgeous, " he said, placing one last kiss on her lips before she slid out of his bed and headed back to the room she shared with Hobbie. Myri slipped into bed next to him, Hobbie shifting in his sleep as she nudged him aside. She was out as soon as her head hit the pillow, exhausted from the gala. Her sleep was deep and relaxing, so much that it was almost afternoon when she woke.

"Glad to see you up, sunshine!" Hobbie greeted her as he came in the doorway holding several holocards in his hand, "Your father forwarded these over here. Apparently a whole lot of mail has shown up at your house in the last few hours."

She rolled her eyes good-naturedly as she accepted the cards from him. They sat together and scanned through them quickly. Most were seedy offers from holotrash companies, but one made her stop and replay it.

Hobbie knew the distinguished face of one of the best entertainment moguls in the business, "J.D. Hardee. What does he want?"

Myri listened intently to his offer. He was curious is she had a voice to match her dance moves, a concept that Myri hadn't originally acknowledged. Sure, she sang in the 'fresher like anyone else, but didn't everyone think that they sounded like an opera star?

"He seems pretty believable," Hobbie commented, "And it's not like you're tied down to anything."

"I certainly do miss dancing," she responded, looking over at him, "Think I should give him a call back?"

"It's worth a shot. Voice or not, you've certainly got the chops for dancing."

Myri smiled and slipped out of bed, padding down to the end of the hallway to use the comm station. She was quickly connected to J.D. Hardee; he had apparently been awaiting her call. They spoke at great length about her talents, abilities, and personality. By the end of the conversation, he had set her up with a vocal coach to begin training a talent the she wasn't sure existed.

Next, she called her father to tell him the news. He was genuinely glad for her, saying, "That's wonderful, now you'll be able to enjoy your talents."

"I hope so."

"I'm proud of you, Myri."

Suddenly it felt as if her heart had leapt out of her chest and soared into the sky. She hadn't heard that phrase in a very long time. She couldn't keep the smile out of her voice as she responded shyly, "Thank you, Daddy."

Myri went to Wes' room after she got off the comm with her father. He gave her a grin as he left her in, "What's all this business about you getting a manager?"

"Well I need to do something to keep my entertained every day."

He feigned insult, "I'm not enough?"

Myri placed a hand on his chest and let it trail down to the brim of his pants, "I didn't say anything about night-time."

Wes chuckled and pulled her into his arms, "That's my girl."

Myri pulled back, a look of incredulousness on her face, "Excuse me? Your what?"

He shrugged in response, unable to keep that playful light out of his eyes, "Why not make it slightly more official? It'll have to remain just as secret, maybe even more so, but why not?"

Myri ran her hands up into his hair and moved his head around, examining his features, "Who are you, and what have you done with Wes Janson?"

He laughed again, louder this time, "I'm serious. Now what do you say?"

"I'll be your only girl."

"I know."

"You'll be with only me."

"I'm aware."

"Did you slip and hit your head in the 'fresher?"

"Myri—"

"You've got it, soldier."

Unfortunately, their happiness was short-lived, thanks to a call back to duty by Starfighter Command. Myri shared a private goodbye with Wes and a public one with Hobbie and Tycho before heading back to her parents' house. Thankfully, Syal had also been called back to duty in the labs, leaving Myri to return to a relatively quiet household.

Wedge left her a message on the kitchen counter that said he and Iella had gone to a flitgnat market downtown. Myri sighed gratefully as she made a quick call to the supplier she had found one of the nights she had gone out in her first few days at home. She had gone quite some time without glitterstim, but now that she was alone, the craving had returned. Her supplier came by quickly and discreetly, and Myri shuffled up to her room to knock herself into euphoria where she could bask in the afterglow of an amazing past few days.


End file.
